Processing Parenting, Perceptions, Paradox and Also Things That Don't Begin With "P"

2/13/2006

more on fear and labels

The incredible B taking Michelle surfing for the first time. Pismo, 2005.wow! this territory is far too rich to stop now. in the last post, wendy replied and posted a link to the book art and fear, which i highly recommend for any of you who are really struggling with fear in lieu of getting to the act of creating.
many inspired and caffeinated conversations with the amazing musician B this weekend, gets me thinking more about keri's "your life is yourart" motto. i think i finally get it. cut to saturday morning breakfast: early, fat blueberries bobbing in pancake batter, laughing, music, fake sausage, happy overmedium perfect eggs-the perfect moment. i've just finished reading the gift of the bit of pam houston that swirly sent, so i'm breathing in the concept of stringing moments in a line. two hours later yield a dogfight and a torn ear, a muddy pantleg, a gypsy riff, a patio table family brainstorm and an aha! about the wise fool, an explosive poo (miles, not me!), giggling, a gnat in the butter, a dadism, and more giggling. flashback to houston's words from the chapter entitled defining success:

"...language: poems and scripts, the way every minute of my life that matters
translates itself into the words that I write, the way writing sanctifies the
best times and makes the dark times possible to bear. I am writing every moment
i am living."

or painting, or collaging, or whatever. to be an artist is to be an inspired individual. we take our moments, as varied as they are, and set to weaving them and then the resulting piece, even just a blog entry or journal sketch that no one will ever see, is the sanctification of that string of moments. so you see, if we call ourself author or painter, it really doesn't matter. the label is just the part that tells us how we have chosen to make our living, how we'd like to be known for our work or selling it. and making a living takes time, but it cannot claim all of the room in our consciousness. there must be room for dogfights and explosive poo and perfect eggs. these moments and experiences, those we choose to create and those we don't, inspire our true work in life, as ARTISTS: people who feed the world back, in our translated version, what we experience. it does not matter what we call ourselves. without us, the world gets dusty and forgetful!
focusing on the work, say, if you want to write a book, because that outward manifestation will make you really proud, that is work. but it cannot happen without the ongoing circle of sketching and talking and savoring flavors and changing diapers. all we do is connected to the outward manifestation, the work.
i leave you today without a title, a label, a word that cannot possibly encompasse your range of interests and passions. think of what you have to exclude in order to bear the title. i encourage you to acknowledge everything that you do, to let it inform your journal, your sketchbook and lead you to your next brilliant "string of moments".
and then tell me all about it!!!
i'm so grateful for this community!

12 Comments:

would a tapestry be a tapestry if it were of one color? i think not.and don't we love the colors and textures of a good tapestry. don't they make us want to touch said tapestry, to bring it to our face with closed eyes and run it over our cheeks?i do beleive.

Thank you so much for this, as well as the entry on art and fear, as this is something I struggle with on a daily basis as I try to work on my writing. I needed to read this today and I'm so happy I was led to it!

I almost fell off of my chair when I read this post. I just came across the book Art & Fear yesterday and just about gobbled it up. It was a gift to find as I am struggling with these very things lately.